House sparrows are abundant near human habitations. What roles do they have in the ecosystem?

black rat snakes ( Pantherophis obsoletus).

domestic dogs ( Canis lupus familiaris).

House sparrows avoid predation by foraging in small flocks so that there are many eyes watching out for potential predators. Known predators of nesting young or eggs include cats, domestic dogs, raccoons, and many snakes. These include Cooper's hawks, merlins, snowy owls, eastern screech owls, and many others. Many hawks and owls hunt and feed on house sparrows. What eats them and how do they avoid being eaten? Studies of the contents of house sparrows' stomachs in Alabama, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Vermont have shown approximate amounts of seed to be 60% livestock feed (corn, wheat, oats, etc.), 18% cereals (grains from storage or from fields), 17 % weed seed, and 4% insects. Rural birds tend to eat more waste seed from animal dung and seed from fields, while urban birds tend to eat more commercial birdseed, weed seed, and human trash. House sparrows eat various kinds of seeds supplemented by some insects. House Sparrows also have a set of vocalizations that are used to attract mates, deter intruders, and warn others. House Sparrows use a set of postures and behaviors to communicate with others of their species. In North America there may be some local movements in response to weather changes but House Sparrow populations do not migrate extensively. House Sparrows are gregarious and active during the day. In these attacks males attack males and females attack only females. Sparrows have been observed to threaten, and if necessary, attack 70 species of birds that have come into their nesting territory.

This is believed to be strictly a protection of the nest site, and not of any feeding areas. House Sparrows aggressively protect a small territory just around their nesting site. Their flight is direct, with continued flapping and no periods of gliding. House Sparrows tend to forage for food on the ground, using a hopping movement when not in flight. Status: wild 189 months Bird Banding Laboratory

Both parents also provide their young with food.ДЄ wild House Sparrow lived to be 13 years and 4 months old, though most will live for only several years.

Range time to hatching 11.0 (high) daysД«oth males and females incubate eggs and brood young until they have fledged.

Breeding season February through August in North America.

gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate).

After the eggs are hatched, both males and females feed the young through regurgitation. Both males and females incubate the eggs for short periods of a few minutes each. One to eight eggs can be present in a clutch, though there are usually 5, with the possiblity of four clutches per nesting season.

Eggs are layed at any time in the nesting period. Nests are built from dried vegetation, feathers, strings, and paper. House Sparrows nest in crevices inside and on buildings, and in coniferous and deciduous trees. Nests are built between February and May. House Sparrows form monogamous pairs for each breeding season. These animals are found in the following types of habitat.They are absent from uninhabited woodlands, deserts, forests, and grasslands. In North America House Sparrows prefer areas that have been modified by humans, including farms, residential areas, and urban areas. Their introduction into North America occured in 1851, when a group of 100 birds from England was released in Brooklyn, New York. They are native to the Palearctic and Ethiopian regions and have been introduced to the Nearctic, Neotropical, and Australian regions. House Sparrows are distributed almost worldwide, excluding the polar regions. Wing length is 76 mm and average mass is 28.5 grams. The tail is usually three-quarters of the length of the wing. Males have white cheeks and a black bib, while females do not. Members of both sexes are brown backed with black streaks throughout this area. House Sparrows are a stout, stocky sparrow, with shorter legs and a thicker bill than native American sparrows.

Sparrow eggs